Whitecourt’s Gord Thibodeau Notches 833rd Victory to Become Winningest Coach in AJHL History

Gord Thibodeau surpassed Don Phelps for the winningest coach in
the AJHL when his Whitecourt Wolverines beat the Fort McMurray Oil
Barons on Feb. 3 for Thibodeau's 833rd league win in 23 years of
coaching. (Courtesy of the Whitecourt Wolverines)

Since 1994, Gord Thibodeau has been a fixture behind the bench in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL).

From all over northern Alberta, coaching seven teams in six cities,
Thibodeau recently stepped into the record books by claiming the record
for most wins as a head coach in the AJHL, surpassing Don Phelps.

Thibodeau, in his first year coaching the Whitecourt Wolverines,
watched his squad knock off the Fort McMurray Oil Barons 2-1 in overtime
on Feb. 3 (before dropping their next game against the Oil Barons 3-2
the following night). Thibodeau had his longest tenure with the Oil
Barons, spending 11 years, so it was fitting he could get the record
back in Fort McMurray.

Even more remarkable in this coaching run has been Thibodeau’s battle
with cancer, something he has fought since 1989, and is currently
battling once again. Last year, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s
lymphoma and is still leading hockey teams while fighting the disease.

In 1994, at the age of 31, Thibodeau got his first head coaching job
in his hometown of Fort Saskatchewan. He spent two years there before
joining the Sherwood Park Crusaders for a season.

Then, it was to the Lloydminster Blazers for three years from
1997-2000. Thibodeau followed that with another three years in a new
city, this time with the St. Albert Saints.

Starting in 2003, Thibodeau landed his first head coaching and
general manager job with the Fort McMurray Oil Barons. He spent more
than 10 seasons there, winning one league championship in 2006. The Oil
Barons made the finals another five times, but could only bring home the
hardware once.

Thibodeau left Fort McMurray for Lloydminster in 2014-15 and coached
for two years before taking over in Whitecourt. Last year, Thibodeau was
the head honcho of the Bobcats as the team hosted the RBC Cup.
Ultimately his team fell in the finals as hosts, but Thibodeau nearly
had his first national championship.

As the 2016-17 AJHL season winds down, Thibodeau’s Wolverines sit
atop the Viterra North Division one point ahead of Fort McMurray. It
will likely come down to the wire between the two teams (Spruce Grove is
a few points back, too), so it’s looking like Thibodeau will have to
best one of his old squads to claim the division.

Thibodeau told the Edmonton Journal he has plans to continue coaching
for years to come, and with a few more successful years, he could hit
the 1,000-win mark.

Whenever Thibodeau does call it quits, he’ll go down as one of the
best coaches in the league's history who could successfully recruit and
shape young players, and always had time for the media.

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